Press Release

Doing Time | Depth of Surface Press Kit

Download the full press kit by clicking the link to the right.

The Exhibition: Doing Time | Depth of Surface, commissioned by Philagrafika, is an exhibition exploring the architecture and stories of Philadelphia’s historic Holmesburg Prison. Spanish artists Patricia Gómez Villaescusa and María Jesús González Fernández have created large-format “printings” of drawings, paintings and graffiti left by former inmates on the walls of the prison, which opened in 1896 and operated for nearly a century before being decommissioned in 1995. The exhibition gives a voice to the guards, employees and inmates who lived in the Northeast Philadelphia prison.

Special Events: Artist and Curator Brunch, Exhibition Walkthrough & Tour (FREE) Saturday, January 28, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Includes a brunch reception and exhibition walkthrough with the artists and curator José Roca, followed by a free tour at Eastern State Penitentiary. Space is limited; RSVP is required: cperkins [at] philagrafika [dot] org

Docent-Led Exhibition Tours (FREE) Saturdays 12-12:30 p.m. and 1-1:30 p.m. from February 4 – March 17 Philagrafika docents will lead a 30-minute exhibition tour, highlighting stories from the artists’ residency at Holmesburg Prison while providing anecdotes and background on the creation of the artworks.

Exhibition Catalogue:
Philagrafika’s Depth of Surface exhibition catalogue, designed by Smyrski Creative, includes 33 color images selected by the artists, two essays and an interview with the artists conducted by curator José Roca. Patricia Robertson’s essay Printing the Past: Gómez + González’ Monoprints guides the reader through the artists’ process of printing prison cell number 805, and Borderlines, an essay by Jennie Hirsh, brings clarity of meaning to Gómez + González’s artistic practice. The catalogue will be available for free during the exhibition’s run at The Galleries at Moore; it can also be ordered from Philagrafika’s website (philagrafika.org), free with shipping and handling.

About the client:

Philagrafika, formerly known as the Philadelphia Print Collaborative, was founded in 2000 in recognition of a growing convergence in Philadelphia of artists, educators, curators, non-profit arts organizations, galleries, print workshops and museums that needed a central organizing body for cooperative initiatives. Philagrafika builds upon the Philadelphia region’s rich printmaking history and abundant artistic resources to enhance the city’s presence as an international center for innovative printmaking.

In 2010, the organization produced its first quadrennial event, Philagrafika 2010: The Graphic Unconscious, a collaborative, citywide event celebrating print in contemporary art and showcasing internationally acclaimed and locally recognized artists.

Philagrafika’s mission is to promote and sustain printmaking as a vital and valued art form by providing artistic, programmatic and administrative leadership for large-scale, cooperative initiatives with broad public exposure. They do this through an international contemporary art festival, an annual invitational portfolio and special projects. Their programs have been designed to present new curatorial and critical models for printmaking – models in which the medium is presented as an integral component of current artistic practice.